I read a short sales ad for a Sales Rep that was only 7 sentences long. But the brevity of the ad did not stop the author from being unconsciously contradicting. The open: Person must be an achiever, with excellent communication skills. Previous Marketing and Sales experience is a must with a proven track record and cold calling experience. Later is states a Bachelor’s degree is required. Why? If there was a Bachelor’s degree for selling, I would deem this requirement important. The contradiction comes in the last sentence: No phone calls please. I know I have mentioned this before but please don’t do this. The beginning of the ad… Read More
Continue ReadingHow Not To Impress A Client
I never know if these stories are believable or not, but this one from monster.com struck me as something I would do: Then, the client offers a cup of hot chocolate. As we get to the details of price, I take a gulp of my chocolate and it goes down the wrong way. I choke and spray it all over the client’s face, shirt and white trousers. I was numb. While I sat there, my bosses were running about trying to find napkins. I apologized profusely and wanted to cry. It was just one of those days. I laughed at the story because I have experienced that immediate choke response… Read More
Continue ReadingSales OR Customer Service
An ad continues to run for a specific sales position in our backyard that defines the job as an outside sales person, Account Executive and requires 25% travel. Yet the title of the ad is Sales/Customer Service. These two positions are almost mutually exclusive of each other. There are few customer service people who develop into strong outside business development salespeople. The opposite is true too, most strong outside salespeople do not make effective customer service reps. The point here is that ad titles are incredibly important in today’s online world. The title is the gateway to garnering the click. Without the click, the ad does not get seen. I… Read More
Continue ReadingResume Pile Perfection
More fun from the resume pile: Sales, If your looking for a rock star. I’m looking for a sale carreer with a strong base and benifits. I’m the best looking for the best.
Continue ReadingSelect Metrix Site Update
We have spent some time updating the look of the Select Metrix website. The home page has remained mostly intact but we have changed the layout to make it a faster read. We have also attempted to blend the blog into the site more directly. Please stop by, have a look at the new design and let us know what you think.
Continue ReadingBritish Interview Faux Pas
Google brought me to this British site – Onrec.com and their article Interview Faux Pas. Here are my 2 favorites from the somewhat strange list: 1. Know the job you’re being interviewed for. After an otherwise quite successful interview for a telesales job, one graduate stunned the panel with the phrase: “Oh and by the way I don’t do cold calling.” 8. Prepare your questions. At the end of her questions, an interviewer posed the question; “okay, you can ask me one question and one question only” to the interviewee. After much procrastination, the young lady took a deep breath, calmed her nerves and asked “Are you going anywhere nice… Read More
Continue ReadingMost Valuable Tool For Hiring Gen Y
Your website. Straight from Selling Power’s article Hiring Generation Y: The most powerful recruiting tool for Generation Y is a company’s Website, says Lloyd. Websites need to be up-to-date, engaging, and constantly evolving. “If you demonstrate the latest technology, you will impress this group,” says Lloyd. We just placed a salesperson for a customer who did not have a live website. They were reworking the site to tie in with their other companies and I can tell you it was a real stretch. Not only did this company not have a website, they did not have any noticable digital identity. They appeared to be ethereal. Thankfully they brought their new… Read More
Continue ReadingAssessing The Behavioral-Based Interview
Selling Power discusses behavioral-based interviewing in On Your Best Behavior. The article covers the main points of this interview approach and it is certainly an approach we incorporate – to some extent. First, if you are relying on the face-to-face interview to make a strong sales hire, you are taking unneeded risks. Even bad salespeople can be good at building rapport. Other salespeople may be silky smooth talkers but nothing more – they can shine in the interview but never close a deal once they make it on to your payroll. An over-reliance upon the interview is the number one reason for a bad sales hire. You must use a… Read More
Continue ReadingSoft Skills Development
An encouraging sign from M.B.A. programs as reported by CareerJournal.com – M.B.A. Programs Hone ‘Soft Skills’. From the article: The schools are responding to employers’ growing interest in soft skills. Executive suites are increasingly composed of managers running far-flung operations who must attract and retain knowledgeable workers. That puts a premium on skills such as communicating and brokering compromises, says Warren Bennis, a professor at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and author of a best-selling book on leadership. “It isn’t just nice — these interpersonal skills,” Mr. Bennis says. “It’s about stuff that’s necessary to lead a complex organization.” We’ve been observing this shift first hand… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Cocky Resume
I just found this cover letter and red flags went off everywhere: College student nearing completion of a Computer Sciences degree looking for a full or part-time entry level position in a technical environment such as software testing, hardware installation, database development, or data entry. Get me secured in your company while I’m still sans degree, because there will come a day when my time will be very valuable. I would run the other way from this candidate. Again, confidence is good, cockiness is bad. Take a look at the close: Tuition reimbursement a plus, but not required. Please e-mail with any openings available for a resumé. Remember, this is… Read More
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